Life's second lesson—at least for me—is that few people are wholly evil. In his first years of contact with strangers, the youth who has known only the mild life of the family circle is frightened by the cruelty, selfishness, jealousy, which he thinks he meets at every turn. His pessimism is not entirely unfounded: humanity can be appallingly base. But as we come to know people better we find that they are capable of kindliness, of enduring tenderness, of great heroism. Then we begin to realize that what is really fear of life is shielding itself behind the armor of crime. What seems revenge is really suffering. And, most frequent of all, ignorance is judging and acting blindly. The English writer, Charles Lamb, said one day, “I hate that man.” “But you don't know him,” a listener objected. “Of course I don't,” said Lamb. “Do you think I could possibly hate a man I know?”
生活给我的第二个教训是，极少有人是完全邪恶的。年轻人只知道平和的家庭生活，所以在他们最初接触陌生人的几年里，对碰到的残忍、自私、嫉妒等负面现象感到恐惧害怕，他们觉得到处都是这样的人。年轻人的悲观也不是完全没有理由：人性的确可以低劣到惊人的程度。但是，随着我们对他人的了解增多，我们会发现，他们也能表现出友善、持久的温柔，甚至是英勇。这时，我们开始意识到，生活中真正可怕的，是把犯罪当成保护自己的盔甲。所谓的报仇其实是真正的遭罪。而且，盲目地判断和行动意味着无知。英国作家查尔斯·兰姆曾说：“我恨那个人。”“但你根本不认识他。”一个听众反驳道。“我当然不认识他，”兰姆回答，“你认为我可能恨一个我认识的人吗？”
“What is the most valuable lesson life has taught me?” A passionate belief in human nature, in spite of her crimes, in spite of her madness. For that madness is a result: it is not a cause.
“生活教给我的最宝贵的教训是什么？”是对人性的坚定信念。尽管人会犯罪，人会疯狂，但我依然对人性充满信心。因为疯狂是果，不是因。
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